Saturday afternoon, the Stade de France “will reopen its doors to crowds and there will be rugby,” France’s opening game of the Six Nations Tournament against Italy, according to Olivier François of LE PARISIEN. It will be the “first match at the Stade de France since the friendly between France and Germany, Friday, Nov. 13 … the night of the Paris attacks.” The normal security measures “have been significantly reinforced.” All those responsible for security services have met for the past three weeks to “install drastic measures surrounding the stadium and to hire staff.” There will be 250 policemen, compared to the usual 100, bomb-sniffing dogs and snipers, “to monitor the area,” aided by 900 security officials posted throughout the stadium. There will also be “plain clothes security agents” in the crowd. French Rugby Federation Security Commission President Robert Broussard said, “The goal, of course, is to have thorough checks, but also to slow the flow of people. We want to avoid it getting jammed at the entrance, so that there is no mass effect at the gates where the second filter will be particularly thorough” (LE PARISIEN, 2/3).
